US20030020504A1 - Universal flying probe fixture - Google Patents
Universal flying probe fixture Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20030020504A1 US20030020504A1 US10/205,171 US20517102A US2003020504A1 US 20030020504 A1 US20030020504 A1 US 20030020504A1 US 20517102 A US20517102 A US 20517102A US 2003020504 A1 US2003020504 A1 US 2003020504A1
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- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- fixture
- circuit board
- members
- engagement structures
- carried
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Granted
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- 239000000523 sample Substances 0.000 title claims abstract description 16
- 238000012360 testing method Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 30
- 230000004308 accommodation Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 5
- 230000008878 coupling Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000010168 coupling process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000005859 coupling reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 210000003813 thumb Anatomy 0.000 description 1
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Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01R—MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES
- G01R31/00—Arrangements for testing electric properties; Arrangements for locating electric faults; Arrangements for electrical testing characterised by what is being tested not provided for elsewhere
- G01R31/28—Testing of electronic circuits, e.g. by signal tracer
- G01R31/2801—Testing of printed circuits, backplanes, motherboards, hybrid circuits or carriers for multichip packages [MCP]
- G01R31/2806—Apparatus therefor, e.g. test stations, drivers, analysers, conveyors
- G01R31/2808—Holding, conveying or contacting devices, e.g. test adapters, edge connectors, extender boards
Abstract
A universal printed circuit board fixture for a flying probe test machine that has opposed clamps, comprising a pair of members, at least one such member being movable relative to the other member, the members defining protruding portions that are adapted to be held in the opposed clamps of a flying probe test machine, and one or more engagement structures carried by each member, each such engagement structure adapted to be coupled to a portion of a printed circuit board. One or more of such engagement structures are adjustable along the length of a member, to allow the accommodation of boards of different size and shape.
Description
- This application claims priority of Provisional application serial No. 60/308,015, filed on Jul. 26, 2001.
- This invention is a fixture for holding circuit boards to be tested in a flying probe circuit board test device.
- Existing flying probe circuit board test devices use pneumatic clamps that are designed to clamp rails along the edges of circuit boards that are generally rectangular, or at least have parallel rails along substantially all of two sides of the circuit board. However, many circuit boards do not have such configuration and so cannot be rigidly held in the clamps, or they have components that are close enough to one or both edges such that they interfere with the operation of the clamps.
- The inventive fixture is designed to alleviate these problems.
- This invention is a fixture for holding circuit boards to be tested in a flying probe printed circuit board test device. The fixture allows the test device to be used to test different shaped and sized circuit boards, and ones with unusual component layout restrictions.
- The inventive fixture is designed to be securely held in the pneumatic clamps of the existing test machines, and includes mechanical devices that are fully adjustable to accommodate virtually any size and shape circuit boards. The inventive device is coupled to the board by the board edges or using the board's registration holes.
- This invention features a universal printed circuit board fixture for a flying probe test machine that has opposed clamps, comprising a pair of members, at least one such member being movable relative to the other member, the members defining protruding portions that are adapted to be held in the opposed clamps of a flying probe test machine, and one or more engagement structures carried by each member, each such engagement structure defining an upwardly protruding pin adapted to pass through a registration hole of a printed circuit board. One or more of such engagement structures are adjustable along the length of a member, to allow the accommodation of boards of different size and shape with different locations of the registration holes.
- The protruding portions of the members are preferably at the ends of the members. The fixture may further comprise means for firmly holding the engagement structures relative to the member on which they are carried. The means for firmly holding may comprise a screw and a tapped hole.
- The members are preferably essentially parallel to one another. The fixture preferably further comprises a seat carried by each pin, to hold a circuit board. The seat may hold the circuit board at substantially the same height as the protruding portions.
- One member may be fixed and the other may slide on a pair of rails. There are preferably two engagement structures carried by each member. The engagement structures may each define a slot that allows for adjustment of the position of the engagement structure along the length of the member.
- In a more specific embodiment, the invention features a universal printed circuit board fixture for a flying probe test machine that has opposed clamps, comprising a pair of essentially parallel members wherein one member is fixed and the other slides on a pair of rails, at least one such member being movable relative to the other member, the members defining protruding portions at their ends that are adapted to be held in the opposed clamps of a flying probe test machine, at least two engagement structures carried by each member, each such engagement structure defining an upwardly protruding pin adapted to pass through a registration hole of a printed circuit board, and means for firmly holding the engagement structures relative to the member on which they are carried. One or more of such engagement structures are adjustable along the length of a member, to allow the accommodation of boards of different size and shape with different locations of the registration holes.
- In this embodiment, as in the other embodiment, the engagement structures may each define a slot that allows for adjustment of the position of the engagement structure along the length of the member. The means for firmly holding may comprise a screw and a tapped hole. The fixture may further comprise a seat carried by each pin, to hold a circuit board. The seat preferably holds the circuit board at substantially the same height as the protruding portions.
- Other objects, features and advantages will occur to those skilled in the art from the following description of the preferred embodiment and the accompanying drawings, in which:
- FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the fixture of this invention;
- FIG. 2 is a top view of the fixture of FIG. 1;
- FIG. 3 is a side view of the fixture of FIG. 1;
- FIG. 4 is one end view, and FIG. 5 is the other end view, of the fixture of FIG. 1.
- This invention may be accomplished in a fixture for holding circuit boards to be tested in a flying probe circuit board test device, such as Genrad's GR Pilot and devices from Takaya and SEICA. The fixture allows the test device to be used to test different shaped and sized circuit boards and ones with unusual component layout restrictions.
- The preferred embodiment is shown in the attached FIGS.1-5.
Inventive fixture 10 comprises rods orrails 12 to which are fixed at one end, one member 16 a, with the other member 16 b slidable along the lengths ofrods 12, to distalend stop members 13. Members 16 comprisebase portions 28 that acceptrods 12, andupper surface portions 30 that overlap each end ofportion 28, to createoverhangs 32, as best seen in FIG. 5. Theseoverhangs 32 have the thickness of a typical circuit board.Overhangs 32 thus present the equivalent of spaced portions of the parallel side rails found along two opposed edges of rectangular circuit boards.Overhangs 32 thus can be held within the pneumatic clamps of the test device. - Fixture10 can carry four
board holding members 18, each of which can be moved along the length of one ofmembers 28 by the use of slots inmembers 18 andthumb screws 19 that fit within tappedholes 22.Members 18 carry loweredportions 23 which have at their distal ends upwardly protrudingpost 24 and cushioningplastic pads 25 thereon.Portions 23 are designed such that the upper surfaces ofcushioning pads 25 lie at the same height asshelf 36 inmembers 28. The board to be tested is placed such that its four registration holes fit over the four protrudingposts 24, although obviously less than four registration openings can be accommodated with the inventive fixture. The height arrangement ofpads 25 holds the top of the board at the same height astop 30 ofportions 32 ofmembers 28, which are themselves held in the clamps of the test machine. The result is that the board to be tested is held by the inventive fixture at the same horizontal (height) location as it would have if it was directly clamped into the clamps of the test device. Thus, the inventive fixture can be used in these test devices without any modification of the flying and/or fixed probes that are used in the test device to test the printed circuit board. - An alternative means of coupling a board to the inventive fixture involves using a number of
sandwiching board clamps 40 rather thanmembers 18. Two parallel edges of a board are placed onshelves 36. Overhangingportions 42 of two ormore clamps 40 are placed over the board, and the thumbscrews are tightened. This allows boards without registration holes to be tested. - The inventive fixture also provides absolute registration of boards once the fixture is clamped into the test machine. This obviates the need to register each board after it is placed in the machine, and recompute the test coordinates, as occurs in existing systems. Accordingly, the test device not only allows the testing of virtually any shape and sized board, but also speeds the testing.
- Other embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art, and are within the scope of the following claims.
Claims (15)
1. A universal printed circuit board fixture for a flying probe test machine that has opposed clamps, comprising:
a pair of members, at least one such member being movable relative to the other member, the members defining protruding portions that are adapted to be held in the opposed clamps of a flying probe test machine; and
one or more printed circuit board engagement structures carried by each member, each such engagement structure adapted to be coupled to a portion of a circuit board;
wherein one or more of such engagement structures are adjustable along the length of a member, to allow the accommodation of boards of different size and shape.
2. The fixture of claim 1 wherein the protruding portions of the members are at the ends of the members.
3. The fixture of claim 1 , further comprising means for firmly holding the engagement structures relative to the member on which they are carried.
4. The fixture of claim 3 , wherein the means for firmly holding comprises a screw and a tapped hole.
5. The fixture of claim 1 wherein the members are essentially parallel to one another.
6. The fixture of claim 1 wherein the engagement structures define an upwardly protruding pin adapted to pass through a registration hole of the printed circuit board, and further comprising a seat carried by each pin, to hold a circuit board.
7. The fixture of claim 6 , wherein the seat holds the circuit board at substantially the same height as the protruding portions.
8. The fixture of claim 1 , wherein one member is fixed and the other slides on a pair of rails.
9. The fixture of claim 1 , wherein there are two engagement structures carried by each member.
10. The fixture of claim 9 , wherein the engagement structures each define a slot that allows for adjustment of the position of the engagement structure along the length of the member.
11. A universal printed circuit board fixture for a flying probe test machine that has opposed clamps, comprising:
a pair of essentially parallel members being movable relative to one another, the members defining protruding portions at their ends that are adapted to be held in the opposed clamps of a flying probe test machine;
at least two engagement structures carried by each member, each such engagement structure defining an upwardly protruding pin adapted to pass through a registration hole of a printed circuit board; and
means for firmly holding the engagement structures relative to the member on which they are carried;
wherein one or more of such engagement structures are adjustable along the length of a member, to allow the accommodation of boards of different size and shape with different locations of the registration holes.
12. The fixture of claim 11 , wherein the engagement structures each define a slot that allows for adjustment of the position of the engagement structure along the length of the member.
13. The fixture of claim 11 , wherein the means for firmly holding comprises a screw and a tapped hole.
14. The fixture of claim 11 further comprising a seat carried by each pin, to hold a circuit board.
15. The fixture of claim 14 , wherein the seat holds the circuit board at substantially the same height as the protruding portions.
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US10/205,171 US6667630B2 (en) | 2001-07-26 | 2002-07-25 | Universal flying probe fixture |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US30801501P | 2001-07-26 | 2001-07-26 | |
US10/205,171 US6667630B2 (en) | 2001-07-26 | 2002-07-25 | Universal flying probe fixture |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20030020504A1 true US20030020504A1 (en) | 2003-01-30 |
US6667630B2 US6667630B2 (en) | 2003-12-23 |
Family
ID=26900182
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US10/205,171 Expired - Fee Related US6667630B2 (en) | 2001-07-26 | 2002-07-25 | Universal flying probe fixture |
Country Status (1)
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US (1) | US6667630B2 (en) |
Cited By (8)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
CN104407178A (en) * | 2014-11-19 | 2015-03-11 | 苏州市欧康诺电子科技有限公司 | PCBA (printed circuit board assembly) plate test fixture |
CN104977525A (en) * | 2015-06-24 | 2015-10-14 | 中国电子科技集团公司第四十五研究所 | Flying probe test file manual editing method |
CN105692178A (en) * | 2016-03-15 | 2016-06-22 | 大族激光科技产业集团股份有限公司 | Material receiving mechanism of planar flying-probe tester |
CN107255783A (en) * | 2017-05-27 | 2017-10-17 | 北京半导体专用设备研究所(中国电子科技集团公司第四十五研究所) | A kind of flying probe device |
CN107843492A (en) * | 2017-12-06 | 2018-03-27 | 张家港市沙源检测技术有限公司 | A kind of metal stresses fixture for testing |
CN110235008A (en) * | 2017-01-17 | 2019-09-13 | 斯贝亚股份有限公司 | Flight probe electronic board tester and testing method thereof |
CN110383091A (en) * | 2017-02-10 | 2019-10-25 | 艾克斯塞拉公司 | Test device and the method for testing circuit board |
CN111812446A (en) * | 2020-08-05 | 2020-10-23 | 景旺电子科技(龙川)有限公司 | PCB testing method and device |
Families Citing this family (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US7071717B2 (en) * | 2004-10-28 | 2006-07-04 | Agilent Technologies, Inc. | Universal test fixture |
TWM291186U (en) * | 2005-12-13 | 2006-05-21 | Inventec Corp | Fixture of circuit board |
US8362793B2 (en) * | 2006-11-07 | 2013-01-29 | Apple Inc. | Circuit boards including removable test point portions and configurable testing platforms |
CN102654517B (en) * | 2011-03-02 | 2014-12-03 | 南通新业电子有限公司 | Mainboard test rack |
CN102279012B (en) * | 2011-04-12 | 2012-12-12 | 王锦峰 | PCB (Printed Circuit Board) clamp device |
CN206969177U (en) * | 2017-07-25 | 2018-02-06 | 合肥鑫晟光电科技有限公司 | A kind of bogey |
USD986046S1 (en) * | 2020-04-19 | 2023-05-16 | Bradley Denton | Clamp set for opposing sides of a portable toilet bottom |
Family Cites Families (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
FR2365209A1 (en) * | 1976-09-20 | 1978-04-14 | Cii Honeywell Bull | PROCESS FOR THE ASSEMBLY OF MICRO-PLATES OF INTEGRATED CIRCUITS ON A SUBSTRATE AND INSTALLATION FOR ITS IMPLEMENTATION |
US4832250A (en) * | 1987-05-28 | 1989-05-23 | Srtechnologies, Inc. | Electronic circuit board rework and repair system |
CN1050423C (en) * | 1993-04-21 | 2000-03-15 | 欧姆龙株式会社 | Visual inspection support apparatus, substrate inspection apparatus, and soldering inspection and correction methods using the same apparatuses |
-
2002
- 2002-07-25 US US10/205,171 patent/US6667630B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
Cited By (10)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
CN104407178A (en) * | 2014-11-19 | 2015-03-11 | 苏州市欧康诺电子科技有限公司 | PCBA (printed circuit board assembly) plate test fixture |
CN104977525A (en) * | 2015-06-24 | 2015-10-14 | 中国电子科技集团公司第四十五研究所 | Flying probe test file manual editing method |
CN105692178A (en) * | 2016-03-15 | 2016-06-22 | 大族激光科技产业集团股份有限公司 | Material receiving mechanism of planar flying-probe tester |
CN110235008A (en) * | 2017-01-17 | 2019-09-13 | 斯贝亚股份有限公司 | Flight probe electronic board tester and testing method thereof |
CN110383091A (en) * | 2017-02-10 | 2019-10-25 | 艾克斯塞拉公司 | Test device and the method for testing circuit board |
US11061065B2 (en) * | 2017-02-10 | 2021-07-13 | Xcerra Corp. | Testing device and method for testing a printed circuit board |
JP7037569B2 (en) | 2017-02-10 | 2022-03-16 | エクセラ・コーポレーション | Test equipment and methods for testing circuit boards |
CN107255783A (en) * | 2017-05-27 | 2017-10-17 | 北京半导体专用设备研究所(中国电子科技集团公司第四十五研究所) | A kind of flying probe device |
CN107843492A (en) * | 2017-12-06 | 2018-03-27 | 张家港市沙源检测技术有限公司 | A kind of metal stresses fixture for testing |
CN111812446A (en) * | 2020-08-05 | 2020-10-23 | 景旺电子科技(龙川)有限公司 | PCB testing method and device |
Also Published As
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US6667630B2 (en) | 2003-12-23 |
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Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
REMI | Maintenance fee reminder mailed | ||
LAPS | Lapse for failure to pay maintenance fees | ||
STCH | Information on status: patent discontinuation |
Free format text: PATENT EXPIRED DUE TO NONPAYMENT OF MAINTENANCE FEES UNDER 37 CFR 1.362 |
|
FP | Lapsed due to failure to pay maintenance fee |
Effective date: 20071223 |